Former GM thinks the Blue Jays are clear winners in the Kevin Gausman trade

The Toronto Blue Jays made their first major trade deadline move on Sunday (Aug 2) when they dealt long-time fan favourite Kevin Gausman to the Chicago Cubs for two prospects in Ty Southisene and Brett Bateman. It wasn’t that much of a surprise to Blue Jays fans that Gausman was going to be moved. He was on an expiring contract and with Toronto likely going nowhere this season, everyone knew his start on Saturday was likely his last in a Blue Jays uniform. But what might have been surprising was the return that the Blue Jays got from the Cubs, which seemed a bit underwhelming to say the least.

However, former MLB GM Jim Bowden certainly didn’t think the same way. In fact, he believed that the Blue Jays were clear winners in the Gausman trade as he rated the package that Toronto got from Chicago as A-, while the Cubs received a more subtle B- in the acquisition of the Jays’ ace.

So what’s does Bowden see that apparently others don’t? After all, Gausman had been one of the top pitchers in all of baseball in recent years with Toronto. Whereas for the young players that the Blue Jays received in return, Southisene was just the Cubs No. 13 prospect and Bateman the Cubs No. 22 prospect according to MLB Pipeline.

A down year by Gausman in Toronto and solid seasons by the Chicago prospects gave value in the return to the Blue Jays

For one, Gausman hasn’t been his usual self for much of the 2026 campaign with Toronto. On the season, the 35-year-old veteran pitcher has a 5-10 record with a 4.38 ERA and 1.29 WHIP in a league-leading 23 starts.

The five wins to date marks his lowest win total since the 2020 COVID-shortened MLB season. His 4.38 ERA is his highest mark since way back in 2019 when he was still with the Atlanta Braves. On top of that, Gausman had given up five runs or more in four of his previous seven starts prior to Saturday’s last hurrah with the Jays.

In terms of the Cubs prospects, Southisene is known a lot more for his contact hitting and speed than his power. As a result, the 21-year-old infielder has put together a solid 2026 minor league season, posting a strong .311 average, .431 on-base percentage and .809 OPS, along with 58 runs scored, seven doubles, five triples, 35 RBIs, 31 stolen bases while posting close to a 1:1 ratio in walks to strikeouts (41 to 37) in 65 total games played.

As for Bateman, he could be knocking on the door for an MLB debut soon. Already playing in Triple-A in the Cubs organization this year, the 24-year-old outfielder has compiled a .312 average, .853 OPS, with 58 runs scored, 18 doubles, three home runs, 33 RBIs and 20 stolen bases in 81 minor league games. Together, they fit the Blue Jays mold of making contact, minimizing strikeouts to keep the lineup rolling with smart run generation in getting on base and on the basepaths.

Despite all that, Blue Jays fans were still expecting Toronto to land at least one top 10 organizational prospect given Gausman’s pedigree. He might not be Tarik Skubal, but he has the ability to slot into the front end of the rotation and pitch in the biggest games down the stretch.

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